Best Big Brother!
by Jett Maddox
Summary: After being teased by a villager named Roddy, Dart is unsure of himself. But then Shana comes to the rescue. Warning! Fluff inside. Read at you're own risk! One-Shot.


"You're just jealous because I have an awesomer and cooler big brother then you!" Eight-year old Shana bragged confidently, hands on her hips in that 'little girl' way. The village kids had scowls on their faces, obviously put off by the youngest child in the town.

Shana was the mayor's daughter and pretty much could do what she wanted since there was nobody to stop her except for the adults and of course her own father but he rarely did anything to intercept since she was usually a very kind child.

Seles, the tiny little village where Shana was raised was by no means big. It was a quaint little rural village located south of the capital Basil of Serdio. Not many people lived here, perhaps ten or eleven occupants and there also weren't a lot of jobs to do in the secluded little area. Most of the civilians headed to the bigger cities for jobs. This was more of a retirement town and was also for people who wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city life.

The only 'occupation', if you could call it that, was Master Tasman's swordsmanship training which nobody really took, but despite that, the man had taken it upon himself to look after and protect the village from harm if any at all came since Serdio and the two kingdoms that split it apart into two empires were at war with one another. Thankfully Seles was far enough away from the fighting that it was considered a refuge.

"Shana, I don't think 'awesomer' is an actual word." A voice spoke up from behind the young brunette-haired girl. An elated gasp escaped from Shana's thin lips as she whipped around on her heel to see Dart standing there a faint amused smile on his lips.

"Dart you're back!" Shana shrieked joyously running towards him and throwing herself at the older boy with her small arms outstretched.

The dirty blonde-haired boy laughed as he caught her and happily wrapped his arms around her slim body. The rest of the kids refrained from waving a greeting to the boy. They were all still weary of him as he was still considered a stranger to them.

Poor Dart had shown up in Seles, battered, exhausted and starving to death six months before. It had been some sort of heavenly wish that he had survived in the first place with the state he had been in.

All of the villagers were convinced that he was going to die overnight due to the extreme lack of nourishment that clearly showed. His cheeks were sunken in he was extremely bony since he had no experience in hunting for food or cooking thus leading him to starvation. The kid was only Thirteen years old for crying out loud!

It was a little upsetting for both Shana and Dart because hardly any of the villagers trusted the newcomer. Especially when so little was known about him and how he managed to escape and survive a vicious night raid on his former home.

When Dart had fully recuperated, he had filled the village with the stories of what had happened to Neet, his hometown. A gargantuan black monster had invaded Neet, casting flames everywhere and burning the entire village to a crisp, leaving it completely unrecognizable. Hardly anyone in Seles knew where Neet was anyway so it was no use them pitying Dart.

During his stay, he spoke of the bravery of his father, Zieg. The man had gone and tried to help any of the surviving villagers to safety after fleeing with Claire, his wife and Dart's mother and Dart himself, up a hill that out looked the town. Dart's mother had gone after him shortly after, leaving the kid all alone and freezing. All night he fought the cold and hoped that at any moment, his parents would return. Dawn came and by that time Dart had decided to go down and see what had happened to his home town.

All traces of life had been decimated, leaving nothing but ashes and charred remains of what once was. Even that horrible dark being had gone. He searched everywhere, eventually finding only a single trace of his father. It was a small, red orb with a black slit in the middle that resembled a cat's eye. It shone beautifully in and out of sunlight, thus how Dart found it, sparkling faintly beneath some collapsed blackened wood.

Of course, all the people shunned this ridiculous idea and far-fetched tale; no kid could have survived as long as Dart did. Shana believed him though. She believed him whole-heartedly.

"So did ya find anything interesting _Fart_?" A male child snorted as he decided to start teasing the elder blonde-haired boy. Kids in Seles weren't as forgiving as Shana and often took the sides of their parents when a newcomer showed up. Nobody was accepting of Dart, since he seemed pretty sketchy to them. Everybody was hostile towards the boy, everybody except young Shana.

"It's _Dart_. Not Fart!" Shana shot back forcefully, untangling herself from his arms and stomping angrily over towards the other boy. The younger blonde's smirk faded as Shana came storming up to him, clearly upset. Dart always wondered why he was being nice to them anyway since they weren't following the golden rule.

"No, but I did find berries to eat." Dart replied softly disregarding the taunting from the other kids. Shana smiled happily then turned around and glared at a snickering group of kids.

"I bet they're poisonous. _Fart_ knows nothing about berry picking anyway. Every kid knows that berries don't grow in a swamp!" Shana gritted her teeth resisting the tempting urge to smack them all upside the head. She'd probably get in trouble for it though.

Dart's head slid down as he noticed how filthy his bare feet were. Trekking through mud wasn't his smartest idea. They were right though. He didn't have any knowledge of the surrounding area of Seles. He was born on the eastern edge of Mille Seseasu, which was where Neet was located. Mud still clung to his legs and a bit of it was smeared across his face when he fell.

"Why are you such a meanie Roddy?" Shana demanded, using her best scolding look. Unfortunately it wasn't all that intimidating as it was adorable. The boy known as Roddy brushed the young brunette-haired girl aside and continued taunting Dart as if she didn't exist.

"What does the mayor see in you that you're still hanging around here anyway? He should have sent you packing _ages_ ago!" Roddy grumbled, folding his arms. The other three kids that were hanging around with the boy nodded in response. Dart could feel his heart break at the comment. He kept his face down as if he were ashamed. Shana was on the edge of slapping them all.

"Aw, leave 'em alone Roddy. He's not worth wasting your breath on." A girl that stood behind Roddy spoke up after no response came from Dart.

"Yeah you're right. He's useless to everybody." Roddy replied as if coming to the realization himself. Dart was feeling wretched as the quartet waltzed away. They were all probably feeling high and mighty after their beat down. They had kicked him when he was down. Shana meanwhile was steaming mad and watched as they walked off.

When they had gone and it was only the two of them, Dart lifted his head and peered at Shana through his dirty blonde bangs. She was facing away from him, thankfully. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again when the words wouldn't come out. Hesitating, Dart worked up the courage to speak.

"Shana, what do you think of me? Am I as useless as they say?" Shana's mouth gaped open as if Dart had asked one of the stupidest questions.

"No! I think you're super-duper cool and the best big brother in all of Serdio! Roddy's only jealous of you because he will never be as cool or as awesome like you are!" Shana stated proudly, hugging his waist to emphasize her point in a tight embrace. Dart gave off a small chuckle as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

Although it was comforting, Dart was doubtful, the words of Roddy still echoing in his mind. Was he really as top-notch as Shana put him out to be or was she just being nice to him because she pitied him too?

"Thanks, though I'm not sure if all of Serdio is the best word…" Dart replied a little hesitantly. Shana's face was thoughtful for a moment before she brightened again.

"You're right, in all of Endiness!" She proclaimed, throwing her fist in the air. Dart only laughed.

* * *

**A/N**: This is only a head-canon of mine and in no way pertains to the actual backstory plot of the game Legend of Dragoon. It's fun to think of things like that though isn't it?

Remember to leave you're input in a friendly review! Constructive Criticism and praise is highly appreciated!

_I__ do not gain profit from this nor do I own the franchise.__  
Legend of Dragoon & Characters mentioned are © to Sony Computer Entertainment.  
_


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